Brown pleased with play of star rookie

Philadelphia 76ers' Michael Carter-Williams, center, looks to pass the ball with Brooklyn Nets' Alan Anderson, right, coming up from behind and Mirza Teletovic, left, in front of him during the first quarter of a preseason NBA basketball game, Monday, Oct. 14, 2013, in Philadelphia. The Nets won 127-97. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

PHILADELPHIA — Ask 76ers coach Brett Brown about Michael Carter-Williams, and he’ll give you a glowing review of the rookie.

It seems like Brown believes the sky is the limit for Carter-Williams. Even still, Brown figured there would be some semblance of learning curve for the 21-year-old point guard’s transition into the NBA.

“I expected, like with all rookie point guards, (there would be a need for) experience,” Brown said the other day. “It’s the hardest job in the NBA. ‘Here’s the ball. Run a team. You’re 20-something years old. Go tell these other 27-, 25-year-olds what to do, and good luck to you. But Michael has been really, really good. I’m proud of his effort.

“I think he’s for real. I think he’s going to be a keeper.”

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Carter-Williams will have opportunities to learn on the fly this season, as a part of a franchise that has embraced rebuilding mode. Perhaps no better lesson in on-the-job training will arrive to Wells Fargo Center in two days, when he and the Sixers host LeBron James and the two-time defending champion Miami Heat in the season opener.

Brown has been as transparent as possible this preseason, in saying he will afford Carter-Williams the luxury of using his rookie season as a stepping stone into the NBA. He will have his hands full on a nightly basis, whether it’s Miami’s Mario Chalmers, or the next time out against Washington’s John Wall, or the time after that while trying to match up with Chicago’s Derrick Rose.

It’s a point guard’s league, and while Carter-Williams, who checks in at 6-6, 190 pounds will own the size advantage most nights, he’s got plenty to learn in general.

“With him being the point guard, there’s no days off,” veteran Thaddeus Young said after Saturday’s practice. “He has a tough stretch coming up – John Wall, Derrick Rose, (Cleveland’s) Kyrie Irving. It’s a ridiculous stretch of games. … It’s going to be tough on him, but I think he’s ready to handle it. He’s tough, I’ve seen it the last five preseason games.”

Maybe his preseason numbers should be viewed as a good indicator of what’s to come for Carter-Williams.

The Syracuse product averaged three assists to one turnover in seven preseason games, with 33 assists and 10 miscues, which shows his knack for setting up open teammates. Additionally, he averaged 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, though his shooting percentages (22-for-67, 32.8 percent overall and 8-for-27, 29.6 percent from 3-point range) need work.

Nonetheless, Carter-Williams will be handed the keys to the Sixers’ offense. His coach and his teammates have his back. It’s up to Carter-Williams to feel the same way about his own play.

“It’s adapting to the physicality and the speed of the game, making the right decisions,” Carter-Williams said. “There’s so many options and (it’s up to me) to choose the right one.”

Carter-Williams won’t have to look far this season to find one of his biggest supporters.

“When you look at him, it’s not like he’s going to come out and knock somebody’s head off from the start,” Brown said of Carter-Williams, the Sixers’ pick at No. 11 in the summer’s draft. “There’s a cruisy side of him, a loose side of him that at times gets to me. It’s not how I think or what I believe in, but that’s how somebody built him.

“You coach him and you get him going and get him aggressive, and there’s a competitive side when the lights come on that surprises me. There’s a talent there that surprises me. I’ve said it before – he’s better than I thought.”